The theme for the 2009 Marriott Environmental Month is “Spirit to Preserve”. At the Marriott Manchester Victoria & Albert Hotel this has been translated into preserving the 275 metre stretch of Irwell riverbank starting at the New Quay Street Bridge through to Prince’s Bridge.

On the 25th and 26th April volunteers from the Marriott V & A teamed up with Proud of Manchester and the Mersey Basin Campaign to widen the path by cutting back the brambles and removing aggressive and dominating weeds. Overhanging trees were pruned back to stop litter catching in the branches and finally all dead foliage was removed.

Before - the path was very overgrown with brambles and dead foliage.

Each day seven Victoria & Albert employees worked tirelessly putting in 87 hours volunteer time between them! Over the two days they collected six bin-bags worth of rubbish as well as filling an additional 10 bags with cleared giant hogweed, a non-native invasive species that causes photosensitive burns when it comes into contact with skin. On top off this great achievement they also filled an entire skip with cleared vegetation such as trees and brambles. The path is now much clearer for people to enjoy walking alongside the river and there is still plenty of vegetation to act as a habitat haven for wildlife in the city centre.

Everyone hard at work.

Watch that machete!!

Mersey Basin Campaign would like to say huge congratulations to the staff at Marriott Manchester Victoria and Albert Hotel for all their hard work. It is great to see that Marriott are so committed to their environmental responsibilities and they have helped make a real difference to this stretch of the River Irwell.

Comments

Thanks Guys!!!!

I spotted you from our balcony on Leftbank and had we not been heading South I would have joined you. I have since walked the path you cleared and what a joy! I am looking forward to collecting blackberries when the time comes.....nature permitting of course as I see the young shoots of chaos are already showing their determined heads!
Many thanks again and if you need any help next time you have my email address.

I'm so glad that you're pleased with the great work that the Marriott hotel did to bring a new lease of life to the River Irwell. I have passed on your kind words to the staff at the hotel and they were over the moon to hear that their hard work had not gone unnoticed!
Please watch this space for other environmental improvements along the river.

Brilliant work, we've took plenty of photos of that part of the Irwell over the past couple of years and it's looking great now including the opening of the new tunnel to Middlewood Locks. Very peaceful area